Ultraviolet radiation and infrared radiation are invisible to the human eye and it is thus necessary to protect ourselves against them because they are not detected by our eyes. The effects caused by said radiation on the retina are cumulative and thus a continuous exposition to high radiation environments may cause, with the passing of time, irreversible damage to the photosensing elements of the central zone of the retina, causing a process leading to blindness or eye damage. There are natural protection mechanisms, such as pupil contraction and eyelid closure; however, said mechanisms only activate themselves when the visible radiation is intense, but do not detect invisible radiations. It is thus important to use protective lenses for the eyes.
Protective filters incorporated into the lenses of ophthalmic or non ophthalmic sunglasses and clear lens glasses are used to protect our eyes against damaging solar radiations, as well as to reduce eye fatigue and improve visual perception. The use of protective solar lenses or clear lenses, with or without ophthalmic graduation, is everyday more necessary because of the current atmospheric conditions.
Sunglasses and clear filter glasses can be neutral or graduated, and can incorporate the optical correction necessary for correcting the various refractive defects such as: myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, presbyopia, phorias, prismated, and same are worn not only as an element protecting against solar radiations but also for aesthetic reasons.
The size and shape of the glasses are especially important under conditions of high solar exposition or damaging radiation, and should not leave areas unprotected. For this reason, wrap around lenses are desirous for glasses to provide lateral protection and good peripheral vision.
The use of neutral or graduated sunglasses and clear filter glasses recently has become more common and necessary. The fast degradation of the ozone layer allows damaging solar radiation passage, leading to an increased use of glasses as dressing accessory. However, for persons wearing prescription lenses, there are few glasses or safety glasses alternatives for solar protection or for sporting activities, and in some cases the wearer has to buy different separate prescription lenses that are adapted to a given type of glasses.
On the other hand, there is a wide range of conventional frames on the market for cosmetic purposes (for solar protection), glasses for motorcyclists, welders, for swimming purposes, etc., including twin rimmed glasses or one-piece lens, that are wide with very high external base curves that functions so a person with eye amitropia could use them as protection or fashion together with their indicated optical correction. Their main function of these types of wrap around lenses is to protect against damaging radiation, against dust or aggressive elements that could impact the eyes and protect against glare with shadows and covers placed on the lens.
In the state of the art there is eyewear that attempts to solve the problem of supplying protection against impacts and integrating the graduation necessary for the wearer. They are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,937 and No. 7,055,951 in which an insert is used for mounting the ophthalmic lenses on the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,937 describes eyewear comprising: an eyewear frame, at least one lens in the eyewear frame, and an attachment device for holding prescription lens inserts so that the prescription lens insert is held in a position adjacent the lens of the eyewear thereby correcting the vision of the wearer of the eyewear, further comprising a nose bridge attached to the frame of the eyewear, the attachment device being attached to the nose bridge, and wherein the attachment device comprises a horizontally extending channel in the nose bridge opening rearwardly, and further wherein the prescription lens insert comprises two prescription lens inserts, one for each eye of the wearer connected by a bridge, and wherein the bridge is received in the channel of the nose bridge, and further wherein the bridge is inserted slidably into the rearwardly opening channel.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,951 discloses a safety eyewear assembly that includes safety eyewear and a prescription lens insert. The safety eyewear includes a frame having a brow bar configured to extend across the brow of the wearer and further includes a plurality of raised shoulders spaced along the brow bar and an unitary safety lens removably mounted adjacent to the outer surface of the brow bar, wherein vertically extending venting channels are formed between the outer surface of the brow bar and an inner surface of the lens. The prescription lens insert includes a left lens frame configured for receiving a prescription lens, a right lens frame configured for receiving a prescription lens and a connection wire configured to be received in interfitting mating relationship with at least one of the raised shoulders of the brow bar and further configured to extend to the venting channels such that the sculpted wire is releasably captured between the outer surface of the brow bar and the inner surface of the lens.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,678 and No. 6,604,823 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0142264 disclose a protection lens with ophthalmic graduation necessary for the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,678 discloses a protective eyewear device comprising: a single piece, protective eye shield that includes at least one vision correcting portion, said protective eye shield being adapted to fit a person's head, said single piece, protective eye shield having a left half and a right half, said at least one vision correcting portion being constructed from the same piece of material as said single piece protective eye shield, whereby said at least one vision correcting part is integral with said single piece, protective eye shield, and a right temple and a left temple, said right temple being attached to said right half, said left temple being attached to said left half, said right temple and said left temple each having a protective side shield.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,823 describes a magnifying safety glasses assembly for use by persons with presbyopia, the assembly consisting of: a front safety eyepiece portion made substantially of a transparent, non-magnifying, shatter-proof material, and matching right and left temple portions, each affixed to an end of the front eyepiece portion, wherein the front safety eyepiece portion includes at least one built-in magnifying corrective segment for correction of a user's near vision.
Moreover, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0142264 discloses safety glasses comprising a one-piece unitary lens having a left eye plano-convex portion and a right eye plano-convex portion, each portion having a radius of curvature ranging for 5 to 8 diopters. An eye corrective lens segment is integrally placed in each the plano-convex portion. The eye corrective segments each are preferably semi-circular with a straight upper edge and surrounded by the plano-convex portion. Side shields are integrally formed with the lens. A frame has a top piece extending across the lens and side shields, and temples are hingedly connected to the top piece.
The pieces of optical material currently used in the optical industry have a circular design and specific diameters that only allow to process ophthalmic prescription lenses in the existing machineries, limiting the assemblies of eyeglasses, solar cosmetic protection, personal protection, or sport lenses on large frames or with high base curves.